MAKe an impact
What Wind Leaves Behind
The part no one talks about
Wind-turbine blades and nacelles are thermoset composites with no mature, closed-loop recycling. In 2022, photos of buried blades at the Casper Regional Landfill went viral. The images beside this text show that reality.
Across Europe, landfill bans push composites toward shredding and incineration, wasting fibers and emitting CO₂. By 2030, Europe will discard more than 50,000 tonnes a year of turbine composites, rising to more than 200,000 tonnes per year in the 2040s. Beyond blades, nacelle and spinner shells add ~5–15% to the composite stream.
Nacelles are seldom counted, yet their large fiberglass shells which structurally sound parts weighing several tonnes are still routinely lost.
EoL Turbines WW
≈ 25.000
Composite waste WW
≈ 220 kt per year
EoL Turbines EU
≈ 14.000
Composite waste EU
≈ 50 kt per year
With a recyclable share of around 85% of the wind turbines except for most of the composite parts.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY
[ Impact ]HOW WE DO IT?
At OUT & ABOUT, we intercept nacelles at the exact moment they reach end of life, before they are cut apart, shredded or sent into the industrial waste stream. We take them intact, directly from wind operators, preserving their full structural value rather than allowing them to become waste.
Each nacelle is transported as a whole and rebuilt into a fully self-sustaining off-grid cabin, fitted with solar power, water filtration and efficient wood heating. Wherever possible, we finish the interior with repurposed materials: old tent canvas becomes curtains, reclaimed wood becomes surfaces and shelving.
By keeping the original shell intact, we eliminate the need for demolition, avoid composite destruction and prevent the use of new raw materials. The turbine serves the landscape until the very last moment, and its second life begins immediately.
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Composite waste prevented per repurposed nacelle
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Avoided per nacelle vs. incineration cycle
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Functional shelter instead of waste material
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Direct extension before recycling is even needed
Nothing wasted everything repurposed
[ About ]At OUT & ABOUT, every cabin is rebuilt by hand using recovered materials and self-sustaining systems. Curtains are made from repurposed expedition tents, interior elements from reclaimed timber and aluminum
Power comes from integrated solar, water is filtered and stored off-grid, and heat is generated by a high-efficiency wood stove.
Everything is built for independence, repairability and minimal resource strain; not as a set design, but as a working system
stay curiousWind to Home WASte to Worth Place to rest
We turn retired nacelles into off-grid cabins, not to build more, but to extend what already exists. By giving these structures a second life Instead of extracting new energy and materials, we extend the life of what already exists.
This is not just sustainability. It is a way to keep our footprint light enough so that we can continue showing up in nature at all. Every nacelle that becomes a cabin is one less new building that needs to be made.
Staying here means living gently, so we as humans can keep experiencing nature for generations without being the reason it disappears. With each booking, we support the ecosystems that host us and help ensure that nature remains a place to return to, not consume.
